THE WORK
The student will partner with a lead designer to develop graphic design solutions for various print ephemera connected with the Getty, including Education and Performing Arts. Work will involve collaborations with internal clients, production and web staff to coordinate deliverables. The Design Studio is a fast-paced, deadline-driven, creative environment that develops high quality design solutions.

THE SITUATION
The Design Studio at the Getty will offer a fully set-up MAC workstation for the successful student candidate. Work must be carried out at the Getty Center Design Studio. The position is 12 hours per week, with preference for 2 six hour days (Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday 8:30 – 3:30 with 1 hour lunch break).

Getty Center

QUALIFICATIONS
• Working knowledge of InDesign and other Adobe CC programs.
• Ability to generate a design solution quickly and carry it through to completion.
• Strong communication skills.
• DCA certificate candidate.

APPLY
Send your resume, cover letter and three work samples to dca@uclaextension.edu by Sunday, March 12th.

Kate is on maternity leave, but another advisor would be happy to review your resume and/or sample work if you’d like to make an advising appt. before the deadline by calling 310-206-1422.

We’re thrilled to welcome Lauren Cullen to our instructor ranks, who will be teaching Illustrator I (online) beginning this spring quarter. Lauren is the graphic designer for UCLA’s Mobile Web Strategy group, where she designs mobile apps and responsive websites for UCLA’s academic and research communities. An illustrator and fine artist, she creates graphics across all media. Lauren received a B.A. from Wesleyan University as well as an Advanced Web and Interaction Design Certificate from UCLA Extension (yes, that’s us!).

Learn more about Lauren, in her own words:

Lauren Cullen

What brought you to this field?

I’ve always loved art and engaging in the experience of creating. I first discovered Photoshop and Illustrator in ninth grade, and there was no looking back. I became deeply immersed in understanding the ways that design can inform, transform, and inspire. Graphic design continues to be my passion, and I feel very fortunate to be in such a fulfilling field.

Tell us about an especially rewarding project you’ve worked on and why you enjoyed it so much.

I find that designing apps for medical research is especially rewarding. For example, at UCLA, I recently worked on an app that helps researchers assess asthma symptoms and related factors in children. The goal of the app is to help detect and prevent asthma attacks.

My contribution to the app included designing the user experience, icons, data graphics, and customized illustrations. It is always satisfying to design for meaningful projects that make a positive impact on people’s lives.

Why is your course, Illustrator I, important for my design education?

Illustrator is an essential design tool and the industry-standard vector graphics application. By learning the fundamentals from this course, students will be able to create icons, logos, drawings, typography, infographics, layouts, complex illustrations, and more for any medium. Students will learn more than just the tools that Illustrator has to offer – they will also be intellectually stimulated by learning key concepts and by learning approaches that prepare them for future experiences.

Do you have a sample assignment?

All projects will provide students with the opportunity to solve specific challenges by designing unique creations of their own vision. As an example, for the midterm project, students will design an infographic, developing a captivating narrative that visually communicates information or data. Students will use drawing and shape tools to represent trends. I’m excited to see what the students create!

We had the opportunity to interview one of our UX students about her time with us so far and her advice for new UX students. She also shared with us one of her class projects — check it out below!

Tell us about how you got interested in UX, and why you chose UCLA Extension.

I majored in art history in college but I would have been happy focusing on anthropology as well. Observing, listening, interviewing, and approaching a situation with fresh eyes all come naturally to me. When I learned about the application of design thinking and user experience lenses to questions and problems–all of which reminded me of ethnographic work–I was intrigued!

I wanted to take a UX class in person and learn with classmates through group activities like presenting, partnering up, as well as giving and receiving feedback. When I found out that UCLA Extension is one of the few places that offers progressive UX courses, I wanted to be part of its community. UCLA Extension’s Westwood campus is also close to my workplace (the Getty), so the location helps, especially when commuting from work in the evenings.

For someone who is new to UX, what should they know about getting started?

In every step of the process, think about the user. That seems like a hackneyed saying, but seriously, by the time you’re, say, in round 4 of prototypes and it’s just been approved by stakeholders, initial user research can easily get lost.

Additionally, be careful of getting carried away by new software. Sketching on paper is still the fastest and unrestrained way to materialize an idea!

What was your favorite UCLA Extension class and why?

I’ve only taken two courses at UCLA Extension. Both were about UX–one with Thomas Dillmann and one with Julia Morton. I enjoyed both!

What would be your dream job?

I’ve been thinking a lot about creating immersive reading experiences lately, so a job (like the one I have now) that would let me do that is a dream. There were days when being privy to the author’s world meant curling up to a book or a newspaper in solitude, perhaps under the covers in darkness. Now that we have adopted our mobile phones as quick and superhuman sources of information, our reading experiences have already become much more immersive. Audio, video, and three-dimensional works are now part of our books. Recent discoveries in iris recognition, artificial intelligence, adaptive learning, and animations are also enhancing our ability to take in what we read. So I’m excited about the possibilities of smart reading powered by machines.

What are you working on right now?

One of our projects at the Getty is an ebook mobile app that features musical and performance scores in our collection. These artworks are multi-dimensional and come in audio, video, and 3D formats. The scores require scholarly expertise to understand, which puts the Getty in a position to publish interpretive content about them. For example, a musical score is going to come alive with a tap with a user seeing it annotated and hearing audio playback at the same time. That’s pretty superhuman! I worked on this project while in Julia Morton’s UX II: Mobile First class. Here is some sample course work:

It’s an honor to welcome new instructor, Greg Germann, to the Design Communication Arts program! Greg is an actor known for his work on film, television and Broadway. He’s a published playwright and has also written and directed for the theatre and television. He was honored to be invited twice be part of a goodwill trip traveling to Afghanistan to visit troops serving there. For over a decade he has had the privilege of serving on the Board of Directors for OPCC (now OPCC-LAMP) in Los Angeles, a visionary social service organization. For the past three years, he’s worked with TEDx UCLA as an advisor, assisting in speaker selection and preparation for the annual conference.

For the past three years I’ve helped prepare a range of speakers for the annual TED TALK held at UCLA. I’ve been able to work with artists, psychologists, archeologists, designers, activists and more, conceiving, crafting and honing their talks for the greatest impact.

Tell us about an especially rewarding project you’ve worked on and why you enjoyed it so much.

My work with TED speakers has made it clear that there are no limitations for what constitutes a ‘big idea’ that can change the world. TED speakers have talked about vulnerability, the brain, the heart, education, travel, planting trees, running, sleep, consciousness, what makes us laugh and cry and even life and death. It’s exciting to embrace the possibility that ‘ideas worth spreading’ take any shape and can be about any thing.

Why is your course, Talking for Impact, important for my Design education?

Everyone has a ‘TALK’ in them. The skills necessary in communicating these ideas makes all the difference. Using the model of a TED TALK is a powerful tool that will unearth the ‘big idea’ that lies in wait for each student in our class. As an actor, director and writer with a career in theatre, film and television my experience has taught me again and again that economy and empathy are just a few keys to connecting with and moving an audience.

TEDxUCLA speaker Victoria Young

The intentional weaving of passion, expertise and innovation insures that an entrepreneur pitching a new product, an archeologist sharing field observations, a designer promoting the value of a concept, a writer selling an idea, a lawyer making his/her case, an educator broadening a students understanding all will succeed in moving their listeners and changing their lives. I’ve seen the surprising impact speakers have on an audience when the idea expressed is concise and challenges the experts while still being understandable to a 5th grader. Speaking with impact results in provoking understanding and upending the expectations of your listener.

We’ll start simply and work our way to the ‘big idea’ that lies in wait for each student. The first step is recognizing the ‘big ideas’ that we encounter everyday. From the brilliance of a bumper sticker, a political slogan, branding, the power of a provocative 140 character Twitter post and even the unexpected impactful daily exchanges we have with our colleagues, friends and family. Students will identify these common examples illustrating how they meet the criteria, not just of a catchy slogan, but how they upend expectations, innovate and promote an idea worth sharing.

Do you have a sample assignment?

TEDxUCLA speaker Adi Jaffe

The Wisdom of the Twitter Feed:

In 140 characters or less articulate the “big idea” behind three varied areas of study or endeavor. Topics may range from, artworks; visual, performing arts and literature: To design; architecture, engineering and product design: To science and even the value of certain types of behaviors. Some of the most popular TED TALKS online are on the value of vulnerability, the power of introverts and the science of happiness.

One example is a devoted runner asked; Can running save our cities? His answer was his big idea; Building community with shared physical activity can change the world. The skill to articulate your vision in a sentence is one of the many tests of the viability and clarity of your vision.

Instructor Henry Mateo is known for going above and beyond the call for his students, and this past quarter was no different. Henry arranged for his Design II: Collateral Communication students to share their final projects at Brand Knew where notable guest critiquers from the LA design scene were on hand to give our students feedback.

Student Fiona Chen shared her work with us:

Name: Foray

Fiona says:

This project was the most challenging, yet fulfilling projects I have done so far in the DCA certificate program! I chose to create an entire bakery/cafe based around a rustic, modern hip, homemade vibe that is quite popular right now. “Foray” was a name taken from the French word from forest, with an “American” twist to the name for readability.

I tried to appeal to a more hipster audience of late twenty and thirty year olds, as well as young, up and coming families in places like Atwater Village or South Pasadena. I was very much inspired by the look of cabins, forest (and trees of course), and a feeling of warmth and coziness.

I wanted the whole brand to convey this vibe by making it look a little loose, and handmade, and with the use of warm colors. The trend right now is a lot of artisan, modern, hip coffee shops, and I wanted to explore the trend with more of a craft and rustic perspective to it. The whole process was definitely long and hard, but it really was a good challenge in terms of seeing what worked and didn’t in terms of building boxes, and using new processes like screen printing. I had never made boxes before, and Henry really challenged us to think “outside the box,” literally. I felt really good about how my bakery box “kit” turned out, and with a little trial and error, I think it worked out well and was a different way of presenting packaged goods. I had a blast with this project and it definitely presented me with several new challenges, in a very good way. I hope that came through in the final result of my project!

Project 1 was a fragrance brand that was completely different from my second project. It leaned toward more of a minimal vibe towards an upscale audience. The result was “Opus” meaning composition. I used a diefold for the box (which required a lot of trial and error!) and a clear opacity adhesive for the bottle. My lookbook used different size cut pages to emphasize the shapes and lines I used as inspiration for this look.

Instructor Henry Mateo is known for going above and beyond the call for his students, and this past quarter was no different. Henry arranged for his Design II: Collateral Communication students to share their final projects at Brand Knew where notable guest critiquers from the LA design scene were on hand to give our students feedback.

Your inspiration for the project: I wanted to create something for young women that didn’t fit within the normal constructs of what society considers to be “feminine:” soft, flowery, pretty. This fragrance is for the bold, unapologetic, edgy woman who embraces being dark and twisty.

Anything interesting that came up in the design/revision process: I had my heart set on using a St. Germain bottle for the fragrance because it was so beautiful and elegant, but I had some difficulty when it came to customizing it for the project. In retrospect, I should have gone with a more simple bottle that would have lent itself more to applying branding elements.

Your inspiration for the project: I had the pleasure of enjoying high tea at Fortnum & Mason in Piccadilly Circus in April 2015. It was a lovely experience and the quality and refinement of the atmosphere, tea, and food really stuck with me. I wanted to create a brand of teas in the United States which evoked a similar feeling – one of quality, timelessness, and grace. My aim was for the brand to be higher brow and fancier than Lipton and Twinnings (which are more generic and pedestrian) or Tazo and Teavanna (which are more down to earth and modern).

Anything interesting that came up in the design/revision process: I learned the hard way that silk screen printing really doesn’t work well on ceramic. I attempted to brand a ceramic teapot, teacup, and saucer by using a custom silk screen that I created with the Sterling & Baxter logo, but unfortunately the slick nature of a ceramic surface and concave shape of the objects made it impossible to apply the logo without smudging or warping.

Former students of instructor Neal Weisenberg’s Graphic Design for Broadcasting course have been thrilled not only with how much they’ve learned, but also with the valuable industry connections they’ve made through the course’s numerous studio field trips and guest speakers. We asked Neal to share a little more about the course with us:

What brought you to this field?
Broadcast design offers a designer and a creative individual so much variety in the type of work that is produced within Broadcast facility (tv, cable, agency, production company, etc).

Tell us about an especially rewarding project you’ve worked on and why you enjoyed it so much.
I was lucky enough to get to produce a Disney Channel TTI. (THE TIME I…) spot featuring my nephew, who happens to be my hero.

Why is your course, Graphic Design for Broadcasting, important for my Design education?
Broadcast design and graphics are so important to all areas of entertainment. This course will give you a taste of the “real” world agency/studio design field.

Do you have a sample assignment?
Below is a link to the type of work we will learning about and designing.

Originally hailing from Johannesburg, South Africa, Hope Ndlovu is a UI/UX designer based here in Los Angeles. Below, she talks about her experience taking UX classes in UCLA Extension’s Design Communication Arts program and shares some of her work.

Tell us about how you got interested in UX and why you chose UCLA Extension.

I became interested in UX after working at a startup and learning about creating user-centred products. I had just completed my Bachelors Degree in Psychology and I was in search of a discipline that would allow me to use my knowledge and fascination with human behaviour in a technical but also creative way. User Experience was the perfect marriage of both of those things. I chose UCLA Extension because of the great reputation the program has and the calibre of graduates they produce. I was also impressed to know that each and every instructor there was a working designer with great accomplishments. To me, that was important. I wanted to be learn from people who knew what they were talking about and cared about what they were teaching.

For someone who is new to UX, what should they know about getting started?1. Spend time on your portfolio. A good portfolio represents your process and being able to articulate this in your different projects is important.

2. UX has many facets. Figure out where you fit in under that umbrella and work at becoming great at it.

3. Last but certainly not least- NETWORK! The UX community in Los Angeles is small and tight-knit. Going to different events will help you meet people, keep up with new trends in the field, and hopefully land some awesome gigs.

What was your favorite UCLA Extension class and why?

There were SO many! If I had to choose just one, it would have to be UX: Mobile First. I was taught by Julia Morton. Again, I loved the passion she had for what she was teaching but also how knowledgeable I found every class to be. I learnt things I thought I already knew!

What would be your dream job?

My dream job would be to work at an agency that values good UX, within a collaborative design team.

I know that there are things I don’t know, so I’m constantly seeking opportunities to learn and share ideas and ways of thinking. My philosophy is, if you find yourself not “Googling” anything anymore at your job, it’s time to move on.